Which to use
“desaparecer” and “desapareció” are a confusable Spanish pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #4,000
- “desaparecer” frequency rank
- #5,946
- “desapareció” frequency rank
- 9946
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | desaparecer | desapareció |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Dejar de estar a la vista o de ser visible. | Tercera persona del singular (él, ella, ello; usted, 2.ª persona) del pretérito perfecto simple de indicativo de desaparecer o de desaparecerse. |
Where the spellings diverge
Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set desaparecer and desapareció apart are highlighted. They share 9 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
desaparecer and desapareció form a confusable pair in the Spanish index, two distinct headwords that are easily confused because they look alike, sound alike, or both. They share most of their letters but differ in 2 positions - close enough that the eye skips over the difference, far enough that meaning fully diverges. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 9946, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
desaparecer is recorded at frequency rank #4,000, classified as averb, pronounced [d̪esapaɾeˈseɾ]. desapareció is at rank #5,946, tagged as averb, pronounced [d̪esapaɾeˈsjo].
Glosses for this pair are partially populated in our dataset, but the full side-by-side definitions above should still guide you to the right choice.
With a confusion score of 9946, this pair ranks #300,334 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Frequency comparison
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "desaparecer" and "desapareció" be used interchangeably?
Remembering desaparecer vs desapareció
The fastest way to pick the right one every time.
- Read both glosses above and match the meaning you intend, only context separates this pair.
- See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “desaparecer” entry
- Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable